Moderate to major flooding of the Ohio River and some of its tributaries occurred. A state disaster declaration included Massac, Pope, Hardin, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. Isolated evacuations of some lowland residents were conducted. In the city of Metropolis in Massac County, several streets were closed, a few residences were evacuated, and a casino riverboat was closed for several days. The closure of the casino had a major impact on the local economy. Flooding of the casino's parking lot and entrance prompted the closure. There was very little property damage to the casino itself. In Gallatin County, the community of Old Shawneetown was threatened, resulting in extensive sandbagging and levee patrols. Very little if any structural flooding was reported in Old Shawneetown. In Hardin County, cabins at a campground at Saline Landing were flooded, and Front Street was flooded in Elizabethtown. There was sandbagging around homes in Elizabethtown and Cave-In-Rock. Several mobile homes and trailers in Hardin County were pulled away from the water. At Rosiclare, Illinois Route 146 was closed leading into town, and water was up about 5 feet along the floodgates. In Pope County, a home on Lusk Creek near Golconda was standing in water. Rural Pope County roads were flooded around Brownfield and Hamletsburg. In Pulaski County, a road was closed at the Cache River (a tributary of the Ohio). In Alexander County, streets were damaged or collapsed in Cairo due to chronic sewer backups. Some of the backups were into homes. Several Alexander County roads were closed. A tributary of the Ohio River, the Saline River, experienced major backwater flooding extending across Gallatin and Saline Counties to the city of Harrisburg. Isolated homes were accessible only by boat in areas around Junction, Equality, and New Haven. Isolated barns and outbuildings were flooded in the Junction and Equality areas. About 40 roads were closed in Gallatin County, and about 9 county roads were closed in Saline County. In Harrisburg, one street was closed and a restaurant was threatened. State police manned barricades limiting access to New Haven and Old Shawneetown. This Ohio River flood crest was lower than in March of 1997, when the last major flood occurred. The river crested at a height of 52.00 feet at Shawneetown, compared to a crest of 54.4 feet in 1997. The crest at Brookport (near Metropolis) was 49.50 feet, which compares to 53.6 feet in 1997. At Cairo, where flood gates were closed, the crest of 53.20 feet was significantly lower than the crest of  56.2 in 1997. The dates of the crests were on the 16th or 17th at all sites. The monetary property damage estimate for this event is a rough guesstimate. The major flooding was partially the result of a record-setting snowstorm on December 22 that dumped from 14 to 22 inches across the Lower Ohio Valley. The snowpack, which contained liquid equivalents from 1 to 2 inches, melted rapidly by New Year's Day. A series of heavy rainfall events in early to mid January contributed to serious flooding. Average rainfall from 3 to 4 inches occurred from the 1st to the 5th. Another 1 to 2 inches fell between the 10th and 13th. Very cold conditions from the 15th to the 18th hampered flood-fighting activities. Low temperatures were around 10 degrees each day.

Flood in ALEXANDER, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 150K
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood in GALLATIN, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 300K
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood in HARDIN, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 70K
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood in PULASKI, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood in SALINE, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 30K
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Flood in MASSAC, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 50K
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood in POPE, ILLINOIS
From 05-JAN-05 11:00:00 to 31-JAN-05 23:59:00 (CST)
Property damage: 100K
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC